Sunday, May 2, 2010

Baklava

I accidentally bought phyllo dough instead of pastry dough a while ago, and what better thing to use if for than learning to make baklava? It was a little time intensive, but not difficult, and very delicious! I actually made 1/2 the recipe in a 9x9 pan.

Butter a 9x13 pan. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Melt butter Unroll phyllo dough. Cut stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth to keep from drying out. Place two sheets of dough in pan, brush thoroughly with butter. Repeat for 8 sheets. Sprinkle 2-3 T of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering. Top layer should be 6-8 sheets.Cut into diamond shapes with a sharp knife. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes until golden and crisp.For sauce, boil sugar and water. Add vanilla and honey and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool. Spoon cool sauce over warm baklava. Leave uncovered so it doesn’t get soggy.